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Will Eknath Shinde be with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Mumbai’s Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC)? What happened in MBMC and Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation?
Mumbai: Eknath Shinde has been demanding the post of BMC mayor for 2.5 years. (PTI File)
After the Kalyan-Dombivli civic body shocker, Maharashtra deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde has thrown another googly in Mira Bhayandar.
The Shinde-led Shiv Sena has joined hands with the Congress in the Mira-Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC).
Will Eknath Shinde be with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Mumbai’s Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC)? What happened in MBMC and Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation?
What happened in Mira-Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC)?
Of the 95 seats in MBMC, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won 78 seats, Congress 13, Shinde Sena 3.
In the 2026 municipal elections, the BJP secured a landslide victory, winning 78 out of 95 seats. Despite that, Shinde has forged a new opposition alliance, ‘Urban Development Alliance’, with the Congress. The move highlights the growing tension between the BJP-Shiv Sena Mahayuti in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR).
Maharashtra Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik clarified that this alliance is to stop local corruption and misuse of power. He said that 16 councillors have risen above party politics and taken this decision in the interest of the city.
ALSO READ | BJP Is Out Of Kalyan-Dombivli Mayor Race Despite 50 Seats, But MNS, With 5 Corporators, Isn’t
Sarnaik’s direct target is a local BJP leader, reported News18 Marathi. This front includes 13 Congress, 3 Shiv Sena and one independent councillor. With a total strength of 17 councillors, this group will now stake its claim for the post of Leader of Opposition in the Municipal Corporation. This is a preparation to curb the one-sided rule of BJP.
The BJP has criticised the move.
मुंबईकर नागरिकांनी मोठ्या विश्वासाने आपल्या सर्वांना निवडून दिले असून आता नागरिकांना दिसून येईल असा बदल आपल्या प्रभागामध्ये करावा असे आवाहन याप्रसंगी केले. आपण केलेले छोटे मोठे बदल लोकांच्या लक्षात यायला हवे. प्रभागात काम करताना स्वच्छतेला सर्वोच्च प्राधान्य द्या. आपल्या… https://t.co/eeAXxVE7yc pic.twitter.com/S9eHd5epVr— Eknath Shinde – एकनाथ शिंदे (@mieknathshinde) January 18, 2026
What happened in Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC)?
In the KDMC, the Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), which has 5 seats, extended its support to the Shinde Sena, which won 53 seats, followed by BJP’s 50 seats. UBT won 11 seats in the 122-seat KDMC and was with the MNS for the civic elections. The KDMC mayor will have to be from the Scheduled Tribes (ST) category.
While the BJP has 50 corporators, it does not have a single member from the ST category. The Shinde Sena has two ST corporators and the MNS one, making both the parties contenders for the top post.
What is happening in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC)?
While the BJP won 89 seats, Shinde Sena group won 29 seats. Both the parties together have crossed the majority mark of 114. But there is speculation of a split between the two parties.
Shinde first kept all his newly elected corporators at the Taj Lands End Hotel in Mumbai, who checked out only after the group was registered and Shinde and his representatives reached Delhi for talks with the BJP.
Even though Shinde has maintained Mumbai will get a Mahayuti mayor and he would not go against the mandate, he has been eyeing the post, saying it is the birth centenary of Sena founder Bal Thackeray.
Meanwhile, there is buzz about the overtures made by Uddhav Thackeray to keep Shinde out of the BMC, with Uddhav even saying that if God wishes, a Shiv Sainik may become the mayor.
January 25, 2026, 16:39 IST
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